Asparagus with Herb Eggs

Asparagus is on sale this week, there are so many ways to cook it. Make into soup, stir fry with sambal belacan (shrimp paste)  wowowo.., wrap them with bacon yum yum yum... I cooked them with eggs and herbs and this is our side dish for dinner tonight.

9 or more fresh asparagus, wash and snap or trim off the end stems

1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp McCormick Lemon Herb seasoning
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste

2 eggs

Oil for pan frying

In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings: paprika, lemon herb, cayenne pepper and set aside or you can sprinkle direct from the bottle, which I did.

Heat a frying pan on high heat, add oil, then asparagus, turning from time to time for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Line up the asparagus and gently pour the eggs (one at a time) on top of it. Sprinkle the seasonings and salt onto the eggs and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes or longer, depending on how cooked you want the eggs to be. We like ours half cooked. Serve warm.

Cheesy Lemonpop Coffee Cake

There are so many recipes I wanted to try, just didn't get around to it and this is one of them. I baked this right after we finished the Peachy Cream Cake since there was still some cream cheese left. I added 2 tbsp of lemon drink mix this time to boost up the lemony flavor and it works!! Oh, you can also use lemon essence instead. The taste is so so good. Hope you like it too.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest 
2 tbsp lemon drink mix (I used Country Time Mix), optional

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F, line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, rub together sugar, lemon zest and lemon drink mix. Add butter, cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until light and creamy, followed by the egg, vanilla, sour cream, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Mix until well combined. 

For the next part of the mixing I use a spatula. Gently add flour mixture into the batter in three batches, until just combined. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough. Spread batter evenly in the cake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

Taro Balls with Sweet Red Bean Filling

Taro has many names. In Malaysia it is known as yam, while in Charlotte I saw some stores give the name yam to orange sweet potatoes.  I am confused... Hahahah... Taro is used in many Asian dishes. You can deep fry, stir fry or mix into some flour to bake or, like my recipe here, have it boiled. I have a friend who is a hotpot(steamboat) freak, in one week on at least 3 days she has it for dinner. She told me having some taro in the stock will make the soup more flavorful. I also noticed at the restaurant, they always serve a few pieces of taro together with the vegetable. We bought one whole piece of taro one day. Too much for one dish. I had half of it cut into thick pieces and put in the freezer. I noticed it got spoiled quite fast. Some of it became our dessert today.



120 gm taro(Yam), cut into small cubes

2 tsp sugar, plus more for adding into the boiling water

3 tbsp glutinous rice flour
3 tbsp water
2 drops purple food color, optional

80 gm red bean paste (store bought)

1/2" ginger, cut into slices

3 cups water




For red bean paste:

Divide the red bean paste into 16 pieces, roll them into small balls and refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigeration will help harden the dough a little and make it easy to handle when wrapping. 


For the yam paste:

Steam the taro for 1/2 hour or until cooked through. While still hot, mash with a fork like mashing potatoes, add the rest of the ingredients: 2 tsp sugar, glutinous rice flour, 3 tbsp water (reduce to 2 tbsp if you find the dough is too sticky), food color and mix until well combined. Roll into a long log, divide into 16 pieces and roll into small balls.

 

Press a piece of the dough in your palm, then place one piece of the filling onto it and wrap. Then roll into a ball. Repeat with the rest. 

 



Bring the ginger and water to a boil. Gently pour the taro balls into the boiling water. The balls will sink to the bottom of the pot (see picture on the left).






The taro balls will be cooked when they float to the top (see picture on the right). Add sugar to taste and serve warm.

Baked Flaky Curry Puff

I prefer savory over sweet when it comes to finger food. After trying many different pastry recipes, with trial and error, I settled on this one. It's light and fluffy. Plus with the food processor, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.  

If you look carefully, the pastry in the above curry puff is fluffier than the one below, as I have rested the dough for 2 days in the fridge and the one below just rested overnight.  The taste and texture of the pastries are the same.

For the filling in the above picture, I had the potatoes cut into cubes, with some black mustard seeds and green peas. For the recipe below I had the potatoes shredded, no mustard seeds or green peas, as I ran out of them. The rest of the ingredients are the same. This recipe is vegetarian, you can add chicken of beef if you would like. Do feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 
For the pastry:  
(This recipe is enough for a 9" pie plate or 16 pieces of curry puff)
 
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
3 to 5 tbsp ice water






In a food processor (or you can use your fingers), add all purpose flour, salt and pulse a couple of times. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time and process until mixture forms into a ball. (PLEASE!! start checking the dough after adding the 2rd or 3rd tbsp of water, if the dough sticks together when pressing, that means you have enough water) 

 
Dust the counter top with some flour, place the dough on it and roll into a log (see picture on the right). Do work fast before the butter starts to melt or it will be very difficult to roll. Molding the dough into a log will make dividing easy later.

Wrap in a ziploc bag and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  This dough can last up to a week in the fridge.

Note: I notice the pastry are fluffier after two days rest in the fridge. Use just a little flour for dusting, more will make the dough hard.

For the filling: 
(This recipe can make up to 32 pieces of curry puff.)

500gm potatoes, cut into small cubes or shredded
1 big onion, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder  (I used Baba's meat curry powder)
Curry leaves from a stamp, chopped
1 cube of chicken flavor bouillon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (or 1 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

1/3 cup frozen peas, optional
1 tsp mustard seeds, optional

Note: I find the shredded potatoes cooked faster compared to the cubed ones.

Rinse the shredded potatoes with cold water a couple of times to remove the potato starch (this will enable the potatoes to cook faster). Place in a strainer and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent. Add curry powder, garam masala (or fennel and coriander seeds) and mustard seeds if you are using them. Stir until you smell the aroma of the spices, be careful not to burn the spices. Pour in the potatoes, stir to combine with the onion and spices, add salt, chicken flavor bouillon and continue to stir from time to time until the potatoes are fully cooked (if you are using green peas, add when the potatoes are almost cooked).

Remove from the frying pan and let cool. This can be cooked in advance. Just store them in an air tight container or ziploc bag and refrigerate it.


Wrapping: 

Dust the counter top or chopping board with some flour, remove the dough from the ziploc bag and cut into 18 pieces. Use a roller and roll the dough into a round shape or almost round hehehe... (see picture on the right)  I am not perfect, but it works anyway.






Place 1/2 tbsp of the filling onto the pastry, fold into half moon shape. (see picture on the left)

Press the edges together (see picture on the right).

Now use your fingers to seal the edges by pinching a little of the dough at the edge, gently fold upwards and press to seal. Repeat until finished. (See the two pictures above) You can also use a fork or anyway you want to seal the edges together.

Heat oven to 350F. Keep the curry puff in freezer/fridge while waiting for the oven to heat up. Skip this step if your oven is ready. Bake for 30 minutes or until the color turns golden brown. Serve warm. 

Note: Return the dough to the fridge for at least 1/2 hour if it starts to get sticky when you roll them. 

Uncooked curry puff can be kept in the freezer for up to a month. When ready to bake, just put into the heated oven directly from the freezer.  

Wheat Bread (not 100%)

I baked this yesterday before the Peachy Cream Cake. I wanted to bake wheat bread for a long time, just didn't come to it. We finally bought one bag of whole wheat flour this week. I was told and also read somewhere that whole wheat contains vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates that help maintain good health. Whole wheat tends to taste a bit bitter. For people who do not like the bitter taste, some chefs suggested adding some orange juice... On the package of the whole wheat flour that we bought, it mentioned that the whole wheat flour can be incorporated with all purpose flour. They suggest starting at 25% and then working your way up to 50% of the total flour required.

Since we have bread often this is one of the ways to get whole grain into our diet. This recipe is based on my Sour Cream Bread recipe. I replaced some ingredients and added new ones. The end result is a surprise, the texture is softer than the Sour Cream Bread. Other than the ingredients, the method of making this bread is the same as the Sour Cream Bread. (for the Sour Cream Bread click here) This recipe will be a regular in our menu.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, more for dusting
1 1/4 cups whole wheat Flour
1/2 cup potato flakes
2 tsp yeast

1/4 cup molasses, maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup olive oil
All of the tongzhang/roax

(click here for the tongzhang/roax recipe)

1 tsp salt

A non stick 5" x 11" bread pan 

Set bread machine on dough function. Place all wet ingredients into the bread pan: Molasses (or maple syrup or honey), sour cream, olive oil and tongzhang/roax. Follow with the dry ingredients except salt: All purpose flour, wheat flour and potato flakes. Make a small well in the middle of the flour and add yeast, lastly place salt at one corner of the pan and press start.

Note: Salt is placed at one corner because it affects the reaction of the yeast. I have learned the hard way. I added the salt too close or together with the yeast, the dough either did not rise or rose very little.

Use less liquid in Summer and more in Winter. I always check the dough after 4 to 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough does not stick to your fingers, it is too dry, so add more milk or water, 1 tbsp at a time. If it is too sticky add more flour, also 1 tbsp at a time.

 

The dough should be sticky when it is ready (about an hour), dust counter top with a little flour, remove the dough from the bread pan, divide into 2 portions and roll the dough into balls by hand. (see picture on the right)

Use a roller pin and roll the dough into a rectangular shape. (see picture on the left) 

 


Roll up the dough from one end to the other, use your fingers to pinch the end of the dough together and place into the bread pan with seam side down.

Let rest for an hour or until the dough rises to double the original size. 

Preheat oven to 350 °F and bake for 30 minutes or until the food kitchen thermometer reaches 160°F. Remove from the bread pan and let cool. Serve warm or cool.

Peachy Cream Coffee Cake

I have to bake bread today and since the oven will be heated up, I want to bake something right after that to save energy. In my fridge you can always find sour cream. I love adding sour cream into many of my recipes.  I also wanted to use up the left over cream cheese in the fridge. So I came up with this recipe and it is easy to make. The name Peachy Cream Coffee Cake was given by my husband. 

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups sugar

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese

1 can (15.25oz) sliced peaches

2 tbsp peach syrup(from the can of peaches)

 

Preheat oven to 400°F, line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy, add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined. For this part of the mixing I use a spatula. Gently add flour mixture into the batter in three batches alternating with sour cream and peach syrup, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough. Spread batter evenly in the cake pan and arrange the sliced peaches on top. 

 

Bake for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve once it is cooled. 

Smoked Ham with Hand Pulled Pan Mee (flour noodle)

Today is the third day after Easter. We still have some left over ham, after 3 days of having the same food for dinner..... mama mia today must change.  I wanted something soupy and I thought of this. This is an easy and simple meal and I hope you like it!

Dough ingredients:

280 gm all purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil



For the Soup:

4 cups chicken stock
Smoked ham, shredded
Asian green mustard or any vegetable you like
Salt to taste (you might not need salt as the ham is salty)

In a bread machine pan add all dough ingredients: All purpose flour, water, salt and oil. Set the machine on dough function and let it knead until all ingredients are well combined and the texture is smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for at least 15 minutes. You can make this a day before, wrap the dough in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate it.

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium size stock pan. Use your fingers to pull apart the dough into small pieces and drop them into the boiling stock. (The dough should be a little sticky)

 

The uncooked dough will sink to the bottom. Once it is cooked it will float to the top. (See picture on the left, the cooked ones are floating on the top, and the uncooked ones are at the bottom), scoop up the cooked dough and place in a big bowl. Continue pulling, dropping and cooking the rest of the dough in the stock until finished.

Next, add all the ham into the stock, cook for a couple of minutes and put in all the vegetables. Once the vegetables turn dark green, it is ready. Add salt to taste (please remember the ham is salty, you might not even need salt). Place the pan mee in a  serving bowl, pour the soup onto it and top with the ham and vegetables. Serve warm.

Sour Cream Bread

We both love bread and I bake this one often. I have baked many different types of bread. Most of the bread drys up very quickly, even though I added potato flakes (some chefs says potatoes can keep the bread moist) and store them in an airtight container. Until one day I tried the Japanese Hokkaido Bread, which uses tongzhang/roax, (a mixture of water and flour which helps to keep the bread moist-see below), and I really like it. It keeps the bread moist longer and the texture softer, just the way I want it. Since I bake very often, I want to use ingredients that I always have on hand, like sour cream, butter, fresh milk... and I have created this recipe by using what I always have in my kitchen pantry. This recipe is for my niece, G who also loves bread like me.

3 1/2 cups bread flour (more for dusting)

2/4 cup potatoes flakes

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp milk powder (optional)

2 tsp instant yeast

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup fresh milk (can replace with sour cream)

1/4 cup sour cream 

All of the tongzhang/roax

(Tongzhang recipe is below)

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 full tsp salt

A non stick 5" x 11" bread pan

Method of cooking thonzhang/roax:

1 cup water or fresh milk

1/3 cup all purpose flour

In a small saucepan, whisk together water and all purpose flour. Whisk until well combined and cook on a stove on medium heat, stirring from time to time until the temperature reaches 150°F. Remove from heat, cover with lid and leave to cool.

Note: You have to stir more frequently towards the end to avoid the bottom getting burned.

Method of making bread :

Set bread machine on dough function. Placed all wet ingredients into the bread pan: egg, fresh milk, sour cream, butter and thonzhang/roax, follow with the dry ingredients except salt: bread flour, potato flakes, sugar and milk powder. Make a small well in the middle of the flour and add yeast, lastly place salt at one corner of the pan and press start. 

Note: 

Salt is placed at one corner because it affects the reaction of the yeast. I have learned the hard way. I added the salt too close or together with the yeast, the dough either did not rise or rose very little. Imagine eating a no-yeast bread!!!

Use less liquid in Summer and more in Winter. I always check the dough after 4 to 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough does not stick to your fingers, it is too dry, so add more milk or water, 1 tbsp at a time. If it is too sticky add more flour, also 1 tbsp at a time.

 

The dough should be sticky when it is ready (about an hour), dust counter top with a little flour, remove the dough from the bread pan, divide into 3 portions and roll the dough into balls by hand. (see picture on the right)

Use a roller pin and roll the dough into a rectangular shape. (see picture on the left) 

 


Roll up the dough from one end to the other (see picture on the left below), use your fingers to pinch the end of the dough together and place into the bread pan with seam side down.


 
Let rest for an hour or until the dough rises to double the original size. (See picture on the right below)

Preheat oven to 350 °F and bake for 30 minutes or until the food kitchen thermometer reaches 160°F. Remove from the bread pan and let cool. Serve warm or cool.